SAN FRANCISCO _ The Red Panda Acrobat, renowned for her daring plate-juggling routine while balancing on a unicycle during halftime at sporting events across the country, is missing the heart of her act, and her agent is offering cold-hard cash to make her whole again.
On Jan. 24, the performer's custom-made 7{-foot unicycle disappeared from baggage claim at San Francisco International Airport, and Pat Figley of San Francisco-based Farallon Entertainment is offering a $2,000 no-questions-asked reward for its recovery, according to KTVU.
The acrobat, whose name is Rong Niu, is reportedly "heartbroken" by the loss.
"It's like her baby was kidnapped," Figley told the TV station. "She's had that unicycle for 30 years."
Figley said Niu had arrived after a flight from Denver and was waiting for the bagged unicycle at a luggage carousel when she lost sight of it, adding that someone grabbed it, possibly by mistake.
According to a San Francisco Police Department bulletin, a suspect walked into the Terminal 3 baggage claim between 1:15 and 2:30 p.m. and took a black roller suitcase containing the unicycle, valued at $25,000. The suspect was described as a white man with a full beard and red hair gathered in a ponytail. He was last seen wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, gray or dark-colored pants and black Sketchers shoes.
Anyone with information about the suspect can contact the airport's cargo theft task force at 650-821-7530.
Figley just wants the unicycle's safe return, hence the cash reward and promise of no inquiry.
Niu was forced to cancel a performance at UCLA the next day. She is a fixture at Golden State Warriors games, has appeared on "America's Got Talent," and topped the "Best Halftime Acts in the NBA" list compiled by the well-read "Sports on Earth" website.
SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said a police report was filed regarding the vanished unicycle and that the case is under investigation. The incident has quickly garnered a national following on social-media since the KTVU report published Wednesday.
Figley told KTVU that Niu has returned to performing using a backup unicycle, but her accuracy with flipping plates and bowls from her feet to her head has suffered.
"She's just not used to it," he said. "The one that was stolen was custom built for her."
